Unexpected Outcomes
by xdeanxcasx
Summary: After the end of season 1, Jeremy and Tyler form a friendship of sorts.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**TPOV**

I knew something had happened the minute Elena ran into the ER crying. Me and Matt were sitting in the waiting area when she came bursting through the doors, Stefan and Damon trailing behind her. She looked a mess, like someone had ripped the world from under her feet and I knew it was Jeremy. Her eyes were wild and Damon and Stefan seemed to be struggling to calm her down. Matt stood and walked over to her, murmuring too low for me to hear. She nodded and Matt came back over.

"Dude I need a favour" he looked worried which sent alarm bells ringing. "I need you to find out where Jeremy is."

"Gilbert? What'd the little punk do now?"

He looked kinda pissed, and for Matt that's a feat.

"He tried to commit suicide man. Please Ty, Elena's freaking out real bad and she'd feel better if she knows where he is"

He looked sincere, like he was about to beg for my help.

"What makes you think they'll tell me anything?"

"Ty, you're the Mayor's son" I shot him a look, "Ok, the _ex _Mayor's son, but please give it a shot. If you act like you care about him, they might take pity on you."

"Oh joy, I get my own private _Pity Party_. Just what I need." Regardless of my words, I stood and made my way over to the nurse's station. The nurse looked up at me and a look of sympathy fell over her face.

I cleared my throat, hoping to sound nervous, "Hi, uh could you please tell me where I can find Jeremy Gilbert?"

She smiled, sickeningly sweet, "Are you a friend?"

"Um, yeah and that girl over there" I pointed to Elena, "She's his sister and she asked me to find out where he is. He's the only family she's got left." Ok, so it wasn't the God's honest truth but come on, I'm a Lockwood, I was born to lie.

"Oh well in that case I suppose it wouldn't hurt. He's in surgery at the moment, I can get the doctor to come and get you when he's out if you want?"

"Yeah that'd be great, thanks." I smiled and turned to walk back over to Elena.

"Hey, uh the nurse said Gil…Jeremy's in surgery and she'll get the Doc to come talk to you when he's out."

She looked at me with a watery smile, a bit of a spark back in her eyes. She whispered a 'Thank you' and dropped down into a seat,, the adrenaline rush leaving her.

We all sat down around her, waiting to hear about Caroline and Jeremy, wondering how two people, so different, could be facing the same fate.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**JPOV**

I couldn't believe it. Tyler was talking to me instead of fighting me. I didn't understand why he felt like he needed to talk to me, I mean we'd never been friends before but that didn't seem to bother him. He'd come over after I was let out of hospital, with no explanation other than he wanted to see if I was ok, Elena said he'd realised that our fighting wasn't important and that after his dad died, he wanted to get back on track. Whatever that means. I do feel sorry for the guy, I do know what it's like to lose a parent…hell BOTH parents and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I just think he realised how screwed up I really am and regrets making things harder for me. It still freaks me out when I see him round town and he smiles at me. Actually smiles instead of that smirk that says 'I'm gonna get you later'.

I haven't gone back to school yet but I can only imagine what people are gonna be saying. What's so special about a druggy like me? I mean the most popular guy in school, the Mayor's son, should definitely NOT be talking to me over his football buddies. I know he's done that coz Matt came over, one day when Tyler was here, mad as hell coz he'd missed practice.

I know it seems like I'm obsessed with the guy, but thinking about Tyler's reasons for our new found friendship stops me thinking about everything else. About the fact that I have no one. My parents are dead, Vicki…I know I never loved her but she still left. Anna did too, though through no fault of her own. Jenna doesn't understand what it's like and Elena doesn't care. She's not my sister so why should she? It's not like she has a reason to care anymore. She has Stefan, Jenna has Mr Saltzman and I'm left alone…again.

**NPOV**

Jeremy's head shoots up when he hears the doorbell ring. Walking to his window, he looks out and sees Tyler's car parked on the road. Cursing silently, thanking any deity listening that he has the house to himself so he doesn't have to see their judgmental gazes, he trudges down the stairs. The doorbell goes again before he opens it and stares out at Tyler, who starts to speak.

"Hey…can I come in? I saw Elena at the Grill with Stefan and she said you were on your own tonight. I just wanted to make sure you were feeling ok." He shifts from foot to foot and stuffs his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah sure…why not" Jeremy sighs dejectedly and moves away from the door, opening it more for Tyler to enter. Slamming the door shut, he makes his way in to the kitchen, hearing footsteps behind him. "You come to check up on me and make sure I'm not gonna pop any more pills?" He knows the people around him are uncomfortable when he says things like that, but he can't help it. The way Tyler is acting is starting to get to him, whenever he turns around Tyler is there, asking questions and being…friendly. It's so out of character that Jeremy doesn't know how to act around him.

"Why do you do that?" Jeremy spins round, eyes wide as Tyler's voice raises with every word. "Why do you act like what you did was no big deal? You almost died Jeremy! You really think Elena would have been able to handle that? Don't you think she's lost enough already? You're the only connection she's got to your parents and you were willing to take that away from her?"

Jeremy's jaw dropped, his brain barely registering the fact that Tyler used his real name before he let loose on his thoughts. "'Our parents'? MY parents are dead but HERS are still alive! She's not my sister Tyler, she's my cousin! My uncle John is her dad. I have no connection to anyone! Everyone I ever loved has left me, and they don't even need to die to do that! I lost my parents, I didn't love Vicki in that way but I lost her too and Anna. They're all dead and then she turns around and tells me that she's not my sister! I lost her when she said that but she's not even dead." His chest was heaving but the words kept flowing from his mouth. "The only person I have is Aunt Jenna but she's not even here! She's too busy with Mr Saltzman to even realise that I'm dying inside! Everyday I wake up, remember I'm alone, that I have nothing to live for, and what do I do? I carry on 'living'. I keep going coz if I don't I'm gonna end up on the bathroom floor again but I wouldn't have used pills, I would have used something that works faster. As for why I keep talking about it like that, it makes it easier. Not the fact that I almost died, the fact that I didn't succeed. If I talk about it like I don't care then it's easier to carry on going when all I wanna do is stop."

He looked at Tyler, noticing he had paled throughout his rant. In fact, Tyler looked like he was about to be sick.

"Are you ok? You don't look so good."

Tyler stared at him in disbelief for a minute, before barking out a laugh. "Am I alright? Did you…do you…are you serious? Is that really how you feel? Like you have no one? Elena might not be your sister but she still cares about you and I know that Jenna does too. They deserve the right to wanna spend time doing something normal instead of just mourning what they've lost. So do you. When was the last time you did something normal? Something that involves talking to people and being outside, away from your thoughts?"

Jeremy though for a moment. He really couldn't think of the last time he did something 'normal'. It must have been before his parents died. Before his world came crashing down around him.


	3. Chapter 3

**I realise I didn't do this on the other chapters but I do not own anything to do with the Vampire Diaries. If I did the show would mainly revolve around Jeremy or Damon. **

**I don't know if the medical info in this is right, sorry if it isn't and I offend anyone.**

**Also, John isn't dead in this fic, he just left town after he got out of hospital and is never gonna come back. **

"Speech" and _'Thoughts'_

**Chapter 3**

**NPOV**

Elena walked through the front door to a familiar sight. Tyler and Jeremy were playing Halo and shouting at the T.V. Over the past few weeks, when she came back home to find them arguing in the kitchen, they'd become closer, hanging out at the Grill and then coming back here to play video games. Tyler needed someone who understood his pain, and Jeremy needed someone who would listen to him. Surprisingly enough they found that in each other. She'd been shocked when Tyler offered to sit with Jeremy while she spoke to the police about John. She never thought she'd see the day when Tyler Lockwood showed concern for anyone else, but he had lost his dad and she supposed it was his way of dealing. Pretending there was nothing wrong with him and pushing the concern for him to concern for someone else. In reality that just made it all the more obvious. Walking around so she could see their faces, she asked,

"Still here Tyler? I would have thought you'd be sick of his face by now. Sitting in the hospital with him and spending all this time with him can't be good for your mental health." She smiled, letting him know she was joking.

"And miss kicking his ass at Halo? No way!" he let out a small laugh, knowing she was glad Jeremy has someone to turn to. She smiled and shook her head at them, leaving them to the game. Tyler turned back to continue playing when he noticed Jeremy had paused the game and was staring at him.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" he scrubbed his face with his hands, checking to see if anything was there.

"You stayed with me in the hospital?" there was a tone of disbelief and confusion in his voice. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Tyler frowned, realising they'd never spoken about Jeremy's time in hospital.

"Elena didn't tell you?" Tyler thought Elena would have wanted to know that people were worried about him.

"No she didn't." He frowned, wondering why Elena hadn't said anything. 'Maybe this is why she wasn't shocked when we started hanging out.'

"How about I tell you the whole thing, yeah? It might be easier that way."

Jeremy nodded, knowing he was going to hear the story from someone else, someone who he thought didn't care about him.

**Flashback**

_They were all sat down, waiting to hear about Caroline and Jeremy, wondering how two people, so different, could be facing the same fate. Elena was sobbing quietly when a middle aged doctor walked towards them. They all stood, wondering who they would receive news on first._

"_My name is Doctor Lloyd. I believe you are all awaiting news of Caroline Forbes and Jeremy Gilbert?"_

_Elena's breath caught at Jeremy's name, but she managed to join in our chorus of "Yes"._

"_I'm treating them both so you'll be pleased to know I can tell you about both of them. Caroline is in a drug induced coma, we're waiting to see if the swelling on her brain will go down on its own or if we'll need to operate to alleviate the pressure. Jeremy has just come out of surgery, he had his stomach pumped and we're just waiting for the anaesthetic to wear off. Would you like to see them?"_

_Several pale faces nodded and the doctor lead us to two rooms down the end of the hallway. _

"_We put them in rooms adjacent to each other as I'm aware that some of you are here for both patients. I advise talking to both of them as they will be able to hear you. Caroline won't be able to respond, although you may get some motor responses from Jeremy such as his hands moving. He should wake up in four to six hours depending on how quickly the anaesthetic leaves his system."_

_Five lots of "Thank you" were muttered and mumbled as we looked through the windows at them. They looked so small and fragile. Caroline was no longer surrounded by an air of I'm-gonna-do-what-I-want-when-I-want, and Jeremy no longer had his screw-the-world attitude to hide behind. We heard footsteps behind us, and turned to see two cops._

"_We need to speak to Elena Gilbert. It's about the attempted murder of Jonathan Gilbert."_

"_Uh…oh yeah of course…umm…." She turned to me, a doe-eyed look on her face. "Can you sit with him for a while? I need Stefan and Damon to come with me and Matt will be with Caroline and I…"_

"_Elena." I cut her off. "I'll sit with him. You just go and answer the questions okay?" _

_She smiled and nodded, turning to follow the cops with Stefan and Damon trailing behind her. I turned to see Matt looking at me funny._

"_What?"_

"_If you want I can sit with Jeremy and you can sit with Caroline. I know you don't like her but at least you never hit her before."_

"_Are you kidding me? Knowing my luck I'll offend her somehow and she'll wake up and kick my ass. At least if I offend Jeremy I'll be able to fight back."_

_Matt smiled and nodded his head slightly. "Yeah okay, if you need anything, like you know, some fresh air or something just let me know."_

_That was so like Matt. His girlfriend is lying in hospital, in a coma, and he wants me to be okay. My dad died but it's not like we were close. I'm not gonna miss him._

_~x~_

_It was about five hours later that Elena came back. I'd been talking to Jeremy about nothing, random mumblings that I'm sure he'll hate me for when he wakes up. She looks distraught, like she's almost lost everything and I suppose in a way she has. She sat in the chair on the other side of Jeremy's bed and smiled at me. _

"_Thanks for sitting with him. I know you two don't get along but I really appreciate it."_

"_It's fine really. I know you needed to sort things out with your uncle and talk to the cops. What do they think happened?"_

_She swallowed thickly and took a deep breath. "They think he either knew who did it, or they took him by surprise because there were no defensive wounds. He said he's gonna leave town. Can I…can I tell you something? I can't tell Matt coz he's worried about Caroline and I know Bonnie wouldn't understand."_

"_Yeah sure, what is it?" I can tell something big is coming because she would never normally confide in me. _

"_When I thought John was gonna die, I was glad. Whenever he's around it's always tense at home. Jenna's always pissed and Jeremy locks himself away. I'm relieved that he's going to leave coz it means I won't have to live up to the expectations he holds because I'm his niece. Well I'm not even…"_

_A knock on the door cuts her off and Sheriff Forbes walks in. "Sorry to disturb you but Tyler, your mum is looking for you. If you want I can give you a lift."_

"_Yeah thanks. I'll see you later Elena. I hope Jeremy's going to be okay. Let me know when he wakes up." I look at her and I know she understands I'm being sincere._

"_I will and thanks again Tyler."_

_I smile and walk out of the room, heading back to an alcoholic mother in an empty house._

**End Flashback**

"You sat with me for five hours and didn't even leave?" He was dumbstruck. Tyler Lockwood had done something for his arch enemies' sister…spending five hours with said arch enemy. Someone must have slipped something in his drink coz he sure felt like he was hallucinating.

"Yeah. Why? You don't seriously think I hated you enough to wish you dead do you?"

Tyler was starting to wonder what image the younger boy had of him

"Oh, no. I mean…well yeah. I was practically your own private punching bag. What would you think if there was a guy that always beat you up just because he could?"

Tyler was shocked. Well he was more than shocked but that's all his brain could come up with. _'He seriously felt that way? Wow I totally helped fuck him up. I didn't realise I was putting everything my dad put me through onto him though. Huh, I guess I owe him an apology…not that he'll accept it…he never accepts apologies…who doesn't accept an 'I'm sorry'? I mean seriously…'_

Throughout Tyler's mental rant, his face changed to a scowl and then a look of shock. Jeremy waved his hand in front of his face countless times, to no avail. In the end he punched him in the shoulder, expecting a punch back. What he got though, he was not expecting.

Tyler looked at him, really looked at him. "Dude I'm sorry. I didn't realise I was treating you like that. Well I mean I did but I didn't realise the effect it had on you coz I know what it's like to have someone constantly beating on you…" His voice faded, his eyes glassing over. His mind wandered to the fact that his dad would no longer be around to beat him up. He felt a sense of relief knowing that he would never turn up to school with a black eye or broken ribs again.

"Ty? Tyler? Tyler!" Jeremy's voice had risen at his inability to bring Tyler back to the land of the living. Tyler blinked twice, and then snapped his head round to look at Jeremy.

"I um…I have to go. I'll see you later."

He ran out of the Gilbert house, leaving a confused Jeremy wondering what the hell had just happened.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Alas, I still do not own anything to do with TVD (unfortunately) otherwise it would be more centred on Jeremy.**

**This is for carliecullenx (an awesome beta), Hanna5693 and LiGi**

Four days after Tyler left suddenly, Jeremy still hadn't seen him. He hadn't been at school and he hadn't come over to hang out. To say Jeremy was worried was an understatement. Tyler had been over every day, no matter what, and Jeremy had become used to his presence. He figured Tyler didn't want to be around his mother now his dad was dead. After all, it was her Tyler was protecting every time his dad gave him a beating.

There was a sudden knock on the front door and Jeremy heard Elena open it.

"Tyler? Hey are you okay?" there was concern in her voice and Jeremy found himself running down the stairs standing on the front porch, looking for all the world like a lost boy, was one Tyler Lockwood. He was staring into space, looking directly at Jeremy, when he collapsed on the floor.

Several hours, multiple phone calls and countless cups of coffee later, Tyler was lying on the couch in the front room. Matt had come over and helped move Tyler. He left saying he'd let Tyler's mum know where he was. After a phone call from **M**att, it was discovered Tyler had been in his room ever since he ran out on Jeremy.

Jeremy was sat beside the couch, watching Tyler breath slowly. For some reason, one he wouldn't admit unless under torture, the fact that Tyler had been missing worried him. He was scared that Tyler would go off the deep end, much like he did, and he wouldn't be able to cope. He knew Tyler hated his dad but the guy was still his family.

A pitiful cry escaped Tyler's throat and he winced in pain. His head hurt and his emotions were all over the place. As he rolled over, and off of the couch, he realised he wasn't in his bed, the last place he remembers being. He opened his eyes and saw the worried face of Jeremy hovering over him.

"Hey…you okay?"

Tyler looked at him in confusion. His eye brows came together as his face scrunched in concentration.

"How…" he coughed violently, his throat raw from lack of use. "How did I get here?"

Jeremy's eyes widened "You don't remember? You turned up here a couple hours ago. You sure you don't remember?"

He helped Tyler sit up against the couch, and Tyler looked at him, before averting his eyes.

"Last thing I remember is leaving here then going home earlier. After that it gets fuzzy." He looked at Jeremy and noticed a **l**ook of shock on his face. "What? What is it?"

"Ty…dude that was almost five days ago. No one has seen you since you left here and your mum said you've been locked in your room since." He didn't want to tell Tyler that he'd been worried about him, not sure how he'd react after this revelation.

"Seriously? Five days ago? How the hell…I need to go home. See if I can remember what happened. Yeah that sounds like a plan." He stood up and noticed Jeremy looked like he was going to protest.

"You uh…you really shouldn't go out looking like that."

"Like what? What do I look like" Tyler looked at him confused; cursing whatever reason he couldn't remember what had happened.

"Like you haven't slept in the past five days. Matt brought some of your stuff over when he came back from your house. You can go get cleaned up if you want." He smiled shakily, feeling nervous under Tyler's startled gaze.

"Thanks." He smiled at Jeremy and made his way upstairs.

~x~

Tyler had left an hour ago, Matt picking him up to take him back home**,** he'd returned to normal mostly, looked like a living human being instead of the walking dead, but something still seemed wrong. It was as if he was missing a chunk of himself and Jeremy just hoped he'd be okay. They left with Matt promising he'd make sure Tyler was okay, and that's how Jeremy found himself in his room, worrying about the dark haired teen. He thought back to when Tyler was last there, the way he ran out as if lightening had struck him on the arse, and only became more confused. He had acted as if he'd made a shocking discovery and then locked himself away from the rest of the world for the better part of a week. He jumped when his phone rang, noting it was the tone he had set for Tyler.

"Tyler? What's up?" there was a pause on the other end, and then Tyler cleared his throat.

"I uh…I think I know why everything was fuzzy after I left yours the other day. There's…look can you come over? I think if you saw what I'm looking at you'd understand what I mean."

~x~

Twenty minutes later, Jeremy was walking up the Lockwood's driveway and ringing the doorbell. There were raised voices, a loud bang and then Tyler almost ripped the door off it's hinges.

"Hey. Thanks for coming over. I knew you'd understand…well you'll see."

He led a confused Jeremy past the living room, where Carol Lockwood was sitting on the couch, a glass of alcohol in hand, staring at a broken lamp on the floor.

"What happened?" Jeremy knew the probability of getting a straight answer out of Tyler was slim, but he couldn't resist asking.

"I broke it." Tyler looked over his shoulder as he led Jeremy up the stairs "I got angry and I broke it."

They had reached Tyler's room and he opened the door, stepping to the side to let Jeremy in. Strewn across the floor were empty bottles, some had contained vodka, others kinds of alcohol Jeremy had never seen before. Expensive stuff. He slowly stepped inside and took note of the numerous plastic bags that he assumed had once contained drugs of some sort. The smell of smoke lingered in the air and he turned full circle, before noticing Tyler was still by the door.

"Dude why aren't you coming in? Are you okay?"

Tyler swallowed nervously and avoided Jeremy's gaze.

"I haven't set foot in that room since I got back. I thought I was hallucinating when I first saw it. I've never really done drugs before and I haven't been that drunk in a while but for the past five days to be gone…I must have been pretty wasted. I don't remember any of it." **H**e was starting to panic and Jeremy realised his worst fear had come true. Tyler had gone off the deep end and was asking for help. How Jeremy reacted next would be crucial to helping Tyler through this.

"You know what? Why don't we go back to my house? Get out of here for a while so you can try and think all this through?" he smiled, praying to a God he didn't believe in that Tyler would say yes. He couldn't look at the evidence that Tyler was just as broken as he was any longer.

Tyler seemed relieved about Jeremy's suggestion. He had a feeling Jeremy would know what he was going through and trusted that he'd be able to help.

**And there you have it! Finally another chapter…and the next one's almost finished too‼**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks go to: carliecullenx, Hanna5693 and LiGi (who has only just caught up‼)**

When they got back to Jeremy's, they were welcomed by a frantic Elena.

"Hey what's up?" Jeremy didn't realise Elena was mad, his thoughts focusing on Tyler and how he was going to help the dark haired teen.

Elena stared at Jeremy for a moment before she snapped. "What's up? What's up? How about the fact that you walked out of here without telling anyone where you were going? How about the fact that I've called you over twenty times and you didn't answer? I could be imagining these things, but do they sound familiar to you?" she was standing in front of him, her breath laboured as she tried to calm down.

"Uh...sorry? Look Tyler called and he sounded freaked out so I went over there to make sure he was ok. As for the phone calls..." he thrust his hands in to his pockets but came up empty. "I must have left my phone here when I left."

"Jere just...promise me you'll never do anything like that again? Please? You really scared me." She stood there, looking at Jeremy when her phone beeped. "Okay, I'm going out with Stefan, Jenna's out with Mr Saltzman so I guess you're on your own. Tyler can I trust you to keep an eye on him for me?"

He looked at Jeremy, then at Elena. "I think it's him that needs to keep an eye on me."

Elena looked at him, her brow crinkled.

"I'll explain later Elena. Go have fun with Stefan." Jeremy looked back at Tyler, who seemed to be in his own little world. "I need to talk to Tyler and find out what happened before I can tell you anything anyway."

She allowed him to usher her to the door before she turned to him. "Just try not to fight with him. I know you two have become friends but he seems edgy. I don't want you to fall out with him." She looked at him, worry evident on her face.

"Trust me Elena, right now I'm the only person he thinks will understand whatever it is that he's going through. We're not gonna be fighting. At least I don't think we will be." He smiled at her and the worry in her eyes lessened.

"Okay. Well let me know what happens. Bye Tyler." She waved at him, frowning when she got no response.

As she closed the door, Jeremy walked back over to Tyler. "Hey come on let's get something to eat." He walked to the kitchen, turned and frowned when Tyler didn't move. "Tyler? Hey man, come on. Let's eat something before we talk okay?"

Tyler turned and looked at him, pain and hatred clear in his eyes. Jeremy knew the hatred wasn't aimed at him, but the person that caused Tyler to act so strangely. The older teen nodded and allowed Jeremy to guide him to a chair. Five minutes later, a sandwich was set down in front of him and Jeremy sat across from him, with a sandwich of his own. Neither boy ate, Jeremy picked at the bread, nervously glancing at Tyler, who was staring at a spot just above Jeremy's head. He took a deep breath and looked down at his hands on the table.

"I don't really remember what happened after I left here last time but…I remember how I was feeling. What I was thinking." He trailed off into a mere whisper, glancing up at Jeremy. "You asked me how I'd feel if there was a guy that beat me up just coz he could. I guess you never realised but there was someone like that. Although he thought he had a reason. It was always the same reason no matter why he beat me. It was always coz I was a failure in his eyes. A failure to the family. A failure as a son." He broke off, his eyes bright with tears and watched as understanding dawned on Jeremy's face.

"Shit Ty I'm sorry. I completely forgot how your dad treated you. Oh God, the past few days have been my fault. I'm so sorry Tyler."

Tyler knew Jeremy was serious, guilt showed on his face and his voice was laden with it.

"Don't. It's not your fault. Since he died I've been feeling like a big part of me is missing. Realising that part was my dad beating me up scared me. I mean, it was the worst part of my life and I'm missing it? How sick does that make me?"

**That's it for chapter 5! I know I was mean to Tyler and it got a bit emotional at the end but it's all relevant for the story‼ It's kind of like Harry Potter 6…not a lot happens but you need to know it for the continuity of the story.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: ****Okay so this took absolutely forever to write, my muse disappeared for a few months and has only just returned...**

**Thank you to my wonderful beta carliecullenx**

**As usual, I own nothing and make no profit**

**Chapter 6**

Jeremy stood in the doorway to the Gilbert living room and looked at Tyler's sleeping face. After all the anguish and pain that had shown so easily a few hours ago, he looked surprisingly peaceful.

**Flashback**

"_How sick does that make me?"_

_The question hung in the air. Jeremy was dumbstruck that Tyler felt that way. It was only natural to miss something that had been happening for the past seventeen years. It had become a routine, unbreakable until the main offender had been taken out of the equation. Why would Tyler think he was sick? The question repeated itself over and over, and Jeremy remained silent._

_Tyler took the silence to mean that Jeremy was trying to find an easy way of saying "Dude you need to be institutionalised". He stared down at his hands, tears threatening to fall, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head slowly, expecting to see a look of pity on Jeremy's face. Instead there was a look of pain, as if he was feeling everything Tyler felt._

"_Ty, it's natural to miss your dad and even the beatings. For seventeen years you've had one almost every day. Now that he's gone, your dad can't hurt you anymore, and you feel like you need something to fill the void. That he left."_

_Tyler looked up at him with shock evident on his face. "How do you know? Are you some kind of therapist? What the hell do you know about my life?" his voice was rising, becoming angry at Jeremy for hitting too close to home. "You don't know anything about me. Just because I haven't beat you up in a couple of months doesn't mean you know me." He stood, looked Jeremy in the eye, and walked towards the front door. Jeremy's voice made him stop short._

"_Almost every day that your dad was alive you came in to school with a new bruise. Sometimes you'd favour your left side, sometimes your right. You never looked anyone in the eye unless it was the girl hanging off your arm, and you refused to go to the nurse when someone noticed you were hurt. I may not know the why or the how Tyler, but I do know that he hurt you so bad you were at breaking point. You had to take it out on someone, had to have a release and you turned to me. You started beating me up to channel your aggression. Every day you hit me or hurt me in some way, I noticed you were breaking. There is no one in this town who knows you better than me, coz no one had to look out for you just so you wouldn't beat them up. There is no one who cares more, Ty, because no one knows what was going on." He took a big breath, close to tears over how much he noticed that Tyler was hurting, and how useless he felt. "You have to let someone help Tyler, you have to let someone in. Using drugs and alcohol as your escape won't work. Trust me I've been there and after a while it stops working. You have to take more just to get a buzz, and then you become addicted. I had Elena and Jenna to help me out, but you've got no one. Unless you let me help you."_

_Jeremy watched as __Tyler's shoulders__ sagged, and his head dropped. He knew Jeremy was right but he didn't want to admit it. He was starting to feel something for Jeremy that he knew he shouldn't. His dad had told him that had beaten it into him that he couldn't have feelings for guys, but he couldn't help it; Jeremy noticed things that everyone else brushed under the carpet. No one else noticed that he was pain almost every day. That he had bruises upon bruises and could barely walk in a straight line for the pain._

_He knew Jeremy would never understand how he felt. How could he? They fought almost every day for the past year, how could Tyler like him in that way? But he also knew that if he walked away now, he'd be alone. No one else would be willing to help him. With tears falling down his cheeks, he turned slowly, eyes on the floor, unwilling to look at the younger teen who knew so much about him._

"_Why do you want to help me? I made your life hell, __I__ beat you up every day...I don't deserve your help." The tears were falling freely now, his eyes still on the floor, and he was unable to see the tears in Jeremy's eyes._

"_Are you kidding me? Are you forgetting everything that's happened lately?" Jeremy's voice wavered as he spoke, but he kept going. "Yeah you beat me up, but Ty, you were also there after...after I tried to kill myself. You treated me like normal. Like I wasn't going to off myself the minute I was left alone. I didn't deserve that. But after all you did, you deserve my help. You fixed me Ty, let me fix you." He tentatively reached out and touched Tyler's shoulder. "Please?"_

_Tyler tensed as Jeremy's hand touched his shoulder, but that last word made him look up in shock. Never, in the past few months, had either of them used the word 'Please'. It was an unwritten rule that neither would use the word, both afraid it would be seen as a sign of weakness. Tyler realised now that there were no rules. No guidelines to follow, it was all guess work and hope. Jeremy guessed Tyler needed help, and hoped he would turn to him. Tyler guessed Jeremy was being genuine, and hoped he wouldn't leave. It was his choice now. Would he lay all his cards down and hope Jeremy wouldn't tear him to pieces, or would he shut himself away from the world and leave Jeremy behind?_

_He looked into Jeremy's eyes, and noticed the tears and pleading look, why did Jeremy care so much? It was almost as if he was trying to tell Tyler something, but he didn't know what. Tired and exhausted, Tyler conceded that he wouldn't walk out, and that he really needed someone to be there for him._

_His mind made up, Tyler agreed with a whispered "Okay" that Jeremy almost didn't hear. He walked into the front room, missing the look of relief on Jeremy's face. He knew the kid was right, that he needed someone to be there to help him. For that to start he had to open up to Jeremy._

"_Ever since my dad died, it's like I don't know what to do anymore. I mean, he's gone and that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned, but everyone looks at me like I should be mourning him still, when I'm not. I don't think I ever did. To me, the one thing, the one person who was turning me into an arrogant ass who didn't care about anyone else, is gone, and I can finally be who I want to be. Whoever that is. God is it stupid that I don't even know who I want to be?"_

_He felt Jeremy's hand on his shoulder once again, and unconsciously leaned into the touch._

"_It's not stupid Ty. Nothing about you is stupid. If people expect you to be mourning him after all these months then they're stupid. You can't go on mourning people forever. And even if you didn't mourn him then it's okay. Everyone deals with death differently. It took you months, and an insensitive comment from me, to realise there was something missing, because your dad wasn't a good part of your life. If he was then you would have noticed sooner." He started rubbing soothing circles on Tyler's back when his eyes glistened with unshed tears. "It doesn't mean you didn't care that your dad died; it just means that you locked your emotions away."_

_Tyler smiled ruefully at this. "My dad always said that showing emotions was a sign of weakness, and Lockwood's aren't weak. I feel weak coz I can't show how I feel. Everyone in town thinks I'm okay and that I'm dealing with everything in a normal way, but I'm a mess __Jere__. I don't know how to act around people coz I feel things I can't express. My dad turned me into an unemotional jackass and I hate myself for it."_

_Jeremy could tell Tyler was tired, the way his eyelids drooped __and__ the slump of his shoulders made him look defeated. "Hey, how about we watch a movie or play HALO or something. You've got a lot to think about and it's gonna take time to get your head around a few things. What do you say to a distraction?"_

_Thinking for a moment, Tyler replied in a sleepy voice, "HALO. That way I can kick your ass and don't have to try too hard." Jeremy smiled at his smirk, glad to see bits of the old Tyler coming back._

"_Deal."_

_They had been playing for a few hours when Tyler started to drift off. He slipped down the couch so his head was level with Jeremy's shoulder, and promptly leaned against the younger teen. They played for a few more minutes before Jeremy felt Tyler lean against him completely, fast asleep. Pausing the game as he glanced down at the dark haired teen, before gently removing him from his shoulder and lying him down on the couch. He sat on the floor for a while, listening to Tyler mumble in his sleep, before turning the TV on._

_**End Flashback**_

A few hours later, and Jeremy had had a shower and gone to check on Tyler, only to find him still asleep. He jumped slightly as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around to find a concerned Elena behind him.

"Hey I didn't hear you come back. You have fun with Stefan?"

Elena smiled and it was obvious from the sparkle in her eye that she enjoyed a night out with her boyfriend more than anything. "Yeah it was great. How did things go here?" she glanced at Tyler. "You guys didn't fight did you?" She proceeded to check Jeremy over, looking for any bruises or scratches.

Jeremy laughed quietly; as he was sure she knew that Tyler wouldn't be here still if they had. "Nope no fighting occurred." He sobered slightly as he continued, "He told me some stuff about his dad and how he feels about everything. I think he's over the worst of it, at least I hope he is coz I don't think he can take much more."

"Worst of what? Jeremy what happened?" she was starting to get worried, was Tyler getting her little brother involved in something illegal or dangerous?

Gently guiding his sister into the kitchen so as not to wake Tyler, Jeremy explained about Tyler, the drugs, and how he felt he had to live up to expectations of the people in the town and felt like he was failing.

"Oh God I didn't know he was affected that much. He must feel like he has no one to go to. I can't imagine going through something like this alone."

"He's not alone, not anymore." The determination on her brothers face quietened any further comment she was about to make, and she smiled. "Would it be okay if I go and sleep for a bit? I don't wanna leave him alone after everything, but I feel like I'm gonna fall asleep standing up."

"Sure go for it. I'll come get you if he wakes up." She smiled and ushered him out of the room and up the stairs, before phoning Jenna and letting her know Tyler was staying the night.

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